Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-01-16
pnruIsToRIc RELICs
And Remarkable Reminders Of an
Extinct Race in western
New York.


this country are probably founl no.
where so distinct, unmistabab'e, and
numerous as they are in Western New
York. and especially in Chautauqul and
Cattaraupus counties. These relics
have long attracted the attention
and prompted the investigation %
local scientific men and antique
rians. and within the past few
years have called to this locality many
eminent savants who have made this
subject a lifelong study. Without ex-
ception these students of unwritten his
tory have given their testimony as to
the great value of the tumuli of West
ern New York as records of the I'M
known people. The Chautauqua His
torical Society has done great service Ill
preserving these evidences of pre-
historic times An officer of this So
cicty, in a recent conversation with a
correspondent, gave some peculiarly
interesting data III regard to the mounds
of this region.
Near the mouth Of CottarauglIs
creek. he said, "there is a series OF
earthwork that extends to the Cone
wanga valley Between Erie and Day
ton, in this county, are the remains Of
a circular sepulchral mound, which has
an elevation Of ten feet. Ut is l20 feet
in circumference. According to the
NEST thorough ant;quaries this mound
must have been the buryiug-place of
some great warrior in the towns OF
Lear and Conewanga some years ago,
eight skeletons were found. They were
in sitting posture, and were arranged
in circle. a most
REMARKABLE CIRCUMSTANCE
connected with this elimination was
the finding Of large blocks of mica in
the mounds among the skeletons Pro-
fcssor Lal.in, of Randolph, who has
given the subject much attention and
study, is Of the opinion that whatever
people might have built these mounds,
they must have regarded mica as
sacred substance, for i'll all the mounds
that have been opened in Chautauqua
and Cattaraugus counties large blocks
Of mica have been uncovered, As
there are no deposits Of that
mineral in the region where the relics
are unearthcd its presence has always
been a mystery to scientists. One OF
these ancient mounds WAS opened in
the village of Randolph. Three we'll
preserved skeletons of human beings,
who must have been of IA race much
larger in stature than ours, were found,
each with large block of mica at its
feet, the blocks being three inches thick
and almost transparent On this par
ticular mound a tree three feet in dame
ter was growing. The roots of the
tree had pushed their way down into
the ancient sepulcre, and were entwined
about the skeletons.
"When the first white settler came
into this region, moro than century
AGO, the remains of numerous fOrtifca-
tons, sepulchrcs, hearths and earth
symbols were all well defined The
most Of these were lcyellcd in time by
the owners of the land, whose desire to
utilize the soil outYeighed their interest
il the preservation Of the unwritten
records Of an extinct race. Relics il
skeletons, pottery, implements, and
weapons thus uncovered were very
common III Chautauqua and Cat
taraugus counties fifty years ago.
They formed portions Of the unyalued
garrct litter of nearly every farmhouse
in this region. Many Of these fortu-
nately escaped the unappreciatiye touch
Of their pOssessors, and are now among
the most priced antiquities Of the famous
collections OF the country. Some Of
them were secured 10y collectors III
Europe. Without doubt one of the
finest collections of this kind in the
world belongs to Professor Lakin, and
it is made up chiefly of relies discov-
evered in the mounds Of these two
counties.
Although the greatest number OF
the mound formations marking the
presence Of an extinct race have been
oblitcratcd by the farmer and the build
ing Of railroads and wagon roads
through this region, there are still many
remaining, and in such preservation rs
to present IN intelligent and interest
ing record to the antiquary. 4 spe-
cially
INTERESTING RELIC
Of that age is an earth formation near
the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio
railroad station iii Randolph. Accord
ing to those who have read the customs
of the mound-buildcrs by the monu-
monts they have left, this WIS fashioned
thousands OF years ago, and was de
eTf. Il 10
formation is rs feet in length, and en-
tmsiastic antiquarians who visit it
bear unanimous testimony in declaring
its unmistakablc resemblance to Il huge
snake hasking in the sun. The
farmer on whose property this sym
bol is was ploughing around what |
the antiquarians say is the head Of the |
serpent few years ago. Near that !
extremity stood the stump of tree, |
which tradition says had fallen with age |
when the place was settled. The stump |
was over three feet in circumference,
and its presence on this mound was UNI
mistakable evidence of the great age |
of the earthwork. The farmer ploughed
so close to the edge of the mound that his
ploughshare caught in n projecting root
of the old stump. The earth was
raised for a foot or more beneath it,
uucovcring a number Of stone spear
heads of a pattern and finish that
showed workmanship much supe-
rior to that by which the latter
flint arrows of the Indians were
fashioned. The mound was explored
for n short distance, and nearly two
hundred spear and arrow-points were
found, all heaped together in one spot
Several stone axes, polished and sym
metrical, and many fine specimens OF
block mica were also uncovered. There
are still two hundred feet of this re-
effigy which have not been
disturbed. Other excavations made
near Randolph have revealed roomy
cells. some containing large
quantities of parched corn in good pre-
Around some of these singu-
lar tumuh deep and wide bitches had
been dug by the ancient workmen.
"Ihe largest number of mounds and
other evidences of the time when this
extinct race existed are found in the
eastern part of Chautauqua county,
mostly along the highlands and pro
bordering the valleys of the
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